Meanwhile, current Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov sat on the bench to watch his team lose to the Islanders, and then needed defenseman Kimmo Timonen to clear his name on local radio after a report that Bryzgalov was benched for falling asleep in a team meeting.

So … good times.

Steve Mason got the start against the New York Islanders, which was a critical game vs. a team the Flyers were chasing. To repeat: Steve Mason, just acquired at the trade deadline, started a critical game over a goalie in the second year of a 9-year, $51-million contract.